Vaping - Is It Healthy?

Hi!
​Vaping is a “thing” now. People believe it is a safer, less toxic alternative to traditional smoking of cigarettes. But first let’s see if this is really better than smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products.
 
Vaping is another word for smoking e-cigarettes. It is known colloquially as JUULing. Some people are trying to use it to help stop smoking. While it is currently unknown exactly how many chemicals are present in the process of vaping (heating nicotine and adding flavoring and other chemicals to create a water vapor), and we know that at least regular tobacco products contain about 7,000 chemicals, we can easily see that it’s still very harmful. By the way, harm reduction in alcohol use, called controlled drinking, does not work well at all according to many studies. Can you draw a parallel here with tobacco? At least think about it!
 
Because nicotine is present in both products, we know that vaping is still highly addictive. If you are vaping, you are likely to have cravings and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore your craving. Nicotine itself has an adverse effect on your blood pressure and gives your adrenalin a punch, affecting your heart rate and bringing you perhaps closer to a heart attack.
 
If you’re smoking via vaping, you might be getting more nicotine than if you were smoking cigarettes, since the cartridges are available in different strengths. You should know that the FDA has not approved e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. One study showed that people who vaped as a means to cut back on cigarette smoking continued to smoke both ways.
 
Teenage use of e-cigarettes is ramping up – vaping is now the most preferred way to smoke … in fact, adolescent use has increased by 1800%. Also, now in 2022, 1 in 20 Americans vape.  Some attribute this escalating use to how these products are expertly packaged and advertised – targeted to this adolescent marketplace. The FDA has stated recently that it will be “cracking down” on illegal sales to minors, as well as these types of marketing strategies. Will this strategy be effective? Only time will tell.
 
One JUULpod may have as much caffeine as an entire package of 20 cigarettes. Teenage brains are still in a developmental phase, and vaping may increase the risk of other drugs and alcohol use. Vaping seems to have an effect of reducing one’s attention span. One study found increased levels of carcinogens in the urine of vaping teens.
 
Please also see this video from CNN, in which Dr. Sanjay Gupta discusses vaping and its dangers.
 
Remember that anything involving putting something toxic into the air will adversely affect others, too. Second-hand inhalation is a “thing” with vaping, as well as with cigarettes. Have you ever detected the distinctive odor of smoke on someone’s clothes? Then you have inhaled a little bit of it. Have you walked down a public sidewalk or a hallway at work and suddenly inhaled a whiff of smoke? You have just experienced second-hand smoke, even if you didn’t see the person who exhaled it.
           
Protect yourself and your loved ones. Knowledge is power. Take charge of your health!
 
And, as always, please have a happy, holistically healthy day.
 
Dr. P

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